I take some merch pix for the online store and promo…and a couple of other fun ones while I’m at it.
EARLY bread-making and while it’s cooling I get some admin and stuff out the way.
After breakfast – fresh sourdough toast with mashed avocado – I hit the studio for an online guitar session,
Once I’m done I set up and take some pix of the new vinyl, CD, Ts and hoodies ready for the online store and other promo.
After lunch I take some time out and work on a Christmas idea for Love Balmaha. If it works I’ll maybe do some ‘Dave Arcari’ versions and some custom options for West Highland Way Gifts,
I manage to get a little finishing work done on my penguin project – don’t ask – before my late afternoon guitar student arrives.
Back in the studio I edit some video to spin into this evening’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook and get some other prep done before go-live…
MARTYN’S counting round to go for a walk so we’re up and organised at a reasonable time.
Not great weather out there but it’s good to get some fresh air and a catch up.
Back home I hit the studio and make up some Spotify canvases – short, looping vertical videos that accompany tracks on Spotify – and pitch a song from the upcoming album release to the platform’s editorial playlists.
After lunch we go to Doune to see Catriona, Will and the kids.
We stop for some shopping on the way home and when we get back I find that instead of taking two packs of beef from the freezer to defrost, one of the pack is actually Italian sausage. Doh!
I’m making a big batch of beef, butternut squash and ancho chilli, so need some more flank out the freezer. While it defrosts I make up some sugo with the Italian sausage which we can have during the week. Then it’s onto the chilli…
It’s getting dark when I go for a wander up the lochside…
WE have a lazy morning and late breakfast then I go outside and start my second tempt to cast a penguin. I’ve been a bit obsessed with trying to design and make a solid metal penguin paperweight since I saw one at the old mill where were staying in France.
The new crucible is big enough to melt enough metal for the job – my last effort ended up with just 2/3 of a penguin ‘cos I couldn’t get enough metal melted at one time.
The resulting cast works but is pretty rough and gonna need a lot of finishing. I do a bit of work on it then hit the studio to do some press/media stuff for the upcoming shows.
I take a break for a late lunch then get back on the job. Media contacts are few and far between these days and folks move around and switch jobs faster than ever as legacy media slowly grinds towards a halt. Still worth the effort tho’.
A message tells me Still Friends has been voted as a ‘pick of the month’ for November by the Independent Blues Broadcasters’ Association (IBBA). Nice.
It’s been quite a nice day and I decide to have a walk before dusk….and it’s getting dark when I start making my way home.
NEEDLESS to say I’m pretty burst when we wake up at Jon and Maggi’s and head downstairs for breakfast.
Good eats, coffee and chat then we head off. First stop is screen printer Kenny to pick some extra shirts and hoodies we need.
Next, Costco for fuel, shopping and a snack, then Tesco, Waitrose, drop the hoodies and Ts at the embroider’s and home. Well, not straight home – we stop at Betty’s to drop off some shopping…and have a drink.
AFTER I get my social ads finished for the upcoming shows I hit the office to try out some engraving on glass Christmas decorations.
I’d planned to do this last year but left it too late to get hold of the glass baubles…so on the case early this year. I do a test design and it seems to work pretty well.
Margaret drives me to the village for a long overdue haircut and I walk back after, enjoying the five mile or so wander while listening to a podcast.
We have a late lunch then drive into Glasgow for a social event at the Scottish Music Centre.
Next stop, Jonzip and Maggi’s where we’re staying tonight. We park up, drop off our stuff then we all walk to a tapas restaurant a few blocks away.
Great meal, great night…Jonzip and I drink red wine and blether until…erm…5am…
I’M gubbed when the alarm goes off and I end falling back to sleep for another hour or so!
There’s a bunch of merch orders to get packed up so I can drop them at a post office later on…and an item to get returned to Amazon that needs to be dropped off at a UPS ‘access point’.
I have an appointment at the Western General hospital in Edinburgh – I’m taking part in an NHS survey thing and have some tests to go through and blood to give as the first part in the process.
En route I stop in Buchlyvie and spend ten minutes wandering around trying to find the UPS ‘access point’. When I do, they won’t take the parcel as there’s only one commercial invoice attached to the outside of the package (exactly as instructed by Amazon). They say it needs three. FFS!
Onward to Edinburgh and I check in. An hour early. Because I added the appointment while we were in France it’s fucked up the time in the diary. No worries tho’ – they’re happy to have me early as it’s the last appointment of the day and means they can finish early 🙂
After all the questions, measurements, blood and piss samples I find a post office and drop off all the merch packages.
Back home I make sure all my PRS live set returns are logged in advance of a research meeting with the organisation tomorrow where we’ll be discussing the process. Thought it’d be good to be up to date.
AWAKE super-early to get the sourdough in the oven. While it’s finishing off I get ready for a paddle so as soon as it’s out the oven I can head out on the loch while it cools.
It’s kinda misty and grey but fairly calm and I have a nice paddle around the islands and do a couple of livestreams to remind folks that ‘normal’ service resumes tonight for my weekly livestream into the Wildcats’ Facebook group.
Back home there’s for a shower and breakfast – avocado on fresh sourdough toast – before a session with an online guitar students.
There’s more videos to edit for social media ads and then I get busy with some of the PR and promo for the new album and related live shows at the start of November,
Once phase one of the promo is done I edit a couple of videos from the live footage taken over the last few weeks so I can spin them into tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream.
Suddenly it’s approaching 8pm and time to get online for the livestream,
After dinner I pack up a bunch of merch stuff and finally catch up with myself around midnight.
AFTER breakfast we help Mikey with his mobile and broadband accounts which seem to have got a bit mixed up.
I hit the studio and make another version of the video for the upcoming shows – one fast-paced video that covers all the shows.
When I get back to the house Mikey’s getting ready to leave. We have some lunch then it’s back to the studio to get all the album tracks, info and metadata to my aggregator (digital distributor) for the full album release on 7 November.
Next job is to create a shareable folder of assets to promote the album. Tagged MP3s of all the tracks, cover art, one-sheet etc…the link needs to go in the news releases and stuff.
I get it all finished just in time to meet Betty for dinner….
A still from the promo video for the upcoming Aberdeen show…
UP EARLY ’cos I wanna get into Glasgow and visit my pal Neil in hospital. I stop en route to get one stuff to take him and then park up at the Beatson.
We chat for a couple hours and I hope I’ve managed to brighten up his day a little.
I stop for some shopping on the way home, have some lunch then hit the studio…the to-do list is as long as my arm and although everything’s urgent I need to try and work out the priorities.
First up is a bunch of news releases not only for the full album release, but also the four ‘launch’ shows both regionally and nationally.
I get the releases all written but decided to leave the assets folder and links ‘til tomorrow and get on with making up some videos to use in social ads and posts for the associated shows.
It’s after 8pm when I get back to the house. Mikey’s arrived and I make some smash burgers before an early night.
